From a faked summit photo to an ascent in less than half a day, these are the most interesting facts about Denali
I was planning and preparing for my climb of Denali for over 18 months. Between training sessions, I spent swathes of time pouring over maps of the route and reading reports on previous expeditions, all in an attempt to absorb as much information about the mountain as I could.
On Denali itself, my expedition was led by three expert climbers who, between them, were a fountain of knowledge. All shared stories and anecdotes collected from years of guiding on this infamous mountain. Between my own research and all that I gleaned from my guides, I’ve picked a fair few facts about Denali.
Interesting facts about Denali
Rising from the American Cordillera in the heart of the Alaska Range is Denali, one of Earth’s most extraordinary mountains. From summit records to misleading names, we examine the most interesting facts about Denali.
1. Denali is the highest mountain in North America
At 6,190m (20,310ft), Denali, in the state of Alaska, is the highest peak in the USA as well as North America.
(Source: Britannica)
2. Denali is one of the seven summits
As the highest peak in North America, Denali is a member of the seven summits, the highest mountains on every continent. It is the third highest of the seven mountains after Everest in Asia and Aconcagua in South America. The other four are Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Vinson in Antarctica and Puncak Jaya in Oceania. Don’t get me started on Kosciuszko in Australia!
(Source: Britannica)
| Mountain | Country | Continent | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everest | Nepal/China | Asia | 8,848m (29,029ft) |
| Aconcagua | Argentina | South America | 6,961m (22,838ft) |
| Denali | USA | North America | 6,194m (20,322ft) |
| Kilimanjaro | Tanzania | Africa | 5,895m (19,341ft) |
| Elbrus | Russia | Europe | 5,642m (18,510ft) |
| Mount Vinson | Antarctica | Antarctica | 4,892m (16,050ft) |
| Puncak Jaya | Indonesia | Oceania | 4,884m (16,024ft) |
3. Denali means ‘the tall one’
The name Denali comes from Koyukon, a traditional Native Alaskan language, and means ‘the tall one’.
(Source: National Park Service)
4. Denali is actually ‘taller’ than Everest
When measured from its absolute base, Denali is 1,606m (5,270ft) taller than Mt Everest – the world’s highest mountain. Denali’s base sits at about 609m (2,000ft) above sea level and rises around 5,500m (18,000ft) to its summit while Everest begins on a 4,270m (14,000ft) high plain, then summits at 8,848m (29,031ft).
(Source: US Geological Survey)
5. The first attempt to climb Denali was in 1903
The first attempt to climb Denali was made by Judge James Wickersham and four team members in 1903. The expedition started in Fairbanks and eventually reached around 3,048m (10,000ft).
(Source: University of Alaska)
6. The first claimed ascent of Denali was faked using a cropped photo
In 1906, explorer Dr Frederick Cook claimed to have climbed Denali by faking a photo showing his climbing companion, Edward Barrill, at the summit. In 1909, however, his ascent of Denali was publicly challenged when Barrill stated that he and Cook had not reached the summit after all. In 1997, an uncropped version of the “summit” photo was unearthed showing previously hidden detail and that the photo was actually taken on a small promontory – now known as Fake Peak – some 4,500m (14,760ft) below the summit!
(Source: New York Times)
7. Denali was actually first summited in 1913
In 1913, Hudson Stuck, an Alaskan missionary, made the first successful ascent of Denali. He left Fairbanks, Alaska, with three companions in March 1913 and was the first person of the party to set foot on Denali’s summit on 7 June 1913.
(Source: History Channel)
8. Denali was called Mt McKinley for a while
The name, Denali, had been used for generations by indigenous Alaskans until 1896 when a gold prospector began referring to the mountain as Mt McKinley after William McKinley, a presidential candidate at the time. After McKinley became president and was later assassinated, Congress formally recognised the name in 1917 even though McKinley had never visited Alaska. After decades of petitioning by the Alaska Legislature, supported by many Alaskans, mountaineers and Alaska Natives, in 2015, President Obama officially changed the name back to Denali.
(Source: National Park Service)
9. The Denali region is the traditional land of five Indigenous peoples
Native Americans have lived on the land that is currently
known as Denali National Park and Preserve for thousands of years. The area comprises part of the aboriginal homeland of five Northern Athabascan Indian groups: Dena’ina, Koyukon, Lower Tanana, Upper Kuskokwim and Western Ahtna. Each group has their own language and traditions but are part of a larger language group called Athabascan or Dené.
(Source: National Park Service)
10. Barbara Washburn was the first woman to climb Denali
In 1947, Barbara Washburn became the first female to summit Denali. She claimed to have trained for the 70-day expedition by pushing “a baby carriage,’’ she wrote in her 2001 memoir, The Accidental Adventurer.
(Source: The Boston Globe)
11. Denali recently changed size
Denali was believed to be 6,194m (20,320ft) from the 1950s until 2013 when a report gave its elevation as 6,168m (20,237ft). However, in 2015, the United States Geological Survey measured Denali again and determined the mountain’s now widely accepted height of 6,190m (20,310ft).
(Source: US Geological Survey)
12. Denali is still growing
Scientists say Denali is still growing at a rate of around half a millimetre a year. Predictions suggest that in about four million years from now, the mountain may be around 1,600m (5,250ft) higher.
(Source: CNN)
13. Denali was formed 225 million years ago
Denali was formed when fragments of the Earth’s crust – called terranes – crashed together and forced the rock upwards. The first collision process began around 225 million years ago while the latest started around 30 million years ago and continues today.
(Source: US Geological Survey)
14. Denali is almost in the Arctic
One of the most interesting facts about Denali is its location. At 63° North, it is positioned just 3° degrees south of the Arctic Circle, the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude.
(Source: International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation)
15. Denali is one of the coldest places on Earth
In 2003, a weather station near the summit of Denali recorded a temperature of -73.8°C (-100.84°F). At the time, it was the coldest temperature ever recorded in the USA and among the lowest recorded anywhere on Earth. It also makes Denali the USA’s coldest mountain top.
(Source: BBC Science Focus)
16. It’s also extremely windy
Denali may also be the windiest place in the USA. The Denali Pass weather station averaged 18m/s or 40.3mph from 1994-1996 and 2003-2004. This is windier than any place known in the Lower 48.
(Source: SummitPost)
17. Denali has 600 earthquakes per year
Denali is located within Denali National Park and Preserve – an area of active plate tectonics. It is estimated that there are around 600 seismic events per year within the park boundaries at magnitude 1 (M1) or greater on the Richter scale.
(Source: National Park Service)
19. The fastest ascent of Denali took just 10 hours
The fastest ascent of Denali was in 2023 by American Jack Kuenzle who climbed and descended the mountain from base camp via the West Buttress route in just 10 hours, 14 minutes and 57 seconds.
(Source: Outside Magazine)
20. The summit success rate on Denali is around 50%
As of 2024, 50,792 people have attempted to climb Denali with 26,346 successful summits. This works out as a summit success rate of 52%.
(Source: National Park Service)
21. The first European to see Denali was George Vancouver
In 1794, British naval captain and explorer, George Vancouver, became the first European to sight Denali from Cook Inlet, an arm of the Gulf of Alaska. George Vancouver is the namesake of Vancouver Island, the city of Vancouver and Vancouver River in western Canada.
(Source: Encyclopædia Britannica)
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